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Negativity comes in many forms - anxiety, fear, doubt, failure, and a host of others. These feelings and thoughts become barriers that prevent us from living the kind of life we want - if we let them.

InSowing and Reaping Part 1: The Truth About Mindsets, I wrote about the concept of sowing and reaping and how it applies to the way we think. Now, in part two of this series, we'll look at another side of this spiritual law and the process of defeating destructive mindsets.

The Dark Side of Sowing and Reaping

Have you struggled to overcome something for a long time, but continue to fail? If you said yes, maybe you should consider that your failure may be linked to the negative effects of sowing and reaping.

What if I told you the reason you're struggling financially may be because you're still angry about something that happened years ago?

What if an important relationship is suffering because you've been lying to them and yourself about how you feel?

What if a negative mindset you developed in the past is sabotaging everything you do today?

There was a time when I didn't think any of this was possible. But after battling negativity for a long time, I finally realized that my success is linked to the way I think.

In Part 1, I wrote about my struggle with mathematics in grade school. Because math was so difficult for me, I became deceived into thinking I wasn't smart enough to be good at it. (In case you didn't, read Part 1 here.)

That negative mindset took root in my youth and carried over into adulthood. Like a cancer, it poisoned my life in several ways.

When relationships got ugly, I bailed out because I thought they were supposed to be easy.

When jobs got tough, I got depressed and conceded defeat. Then I chose to cope in harmful ways like drinking too much alcohol.

I became jealous of others who were having more success than I was. To impress other people, I started lying about the money I was making and how well I was doing.

How happy do you think I was living like that?

If you don't believe perspective matters, think again. What you sow in the form of thoughts and words reaps an outcome. This isn't news. For centuries, the Bible has been telling us that what we sow in our hearts will shape who we are and the life we live:

Jesus replied, “Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer. But the words you speak come from the heart--that’s what defiles you. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you.” (Matthew 15:17-20)

You don't have to think about killing someone or stealing to suffer the harmful side effects of negativity. You may have a cynical attitude about other people. Or you may have a chip on your shoulder and feel like you have to prove yourself all the time. Maybe you're jealous of others who are doing well. Or perhaps you're afraid of going broke, so you hoard money instead of being generous.

I ignored harmful attitudes for a long time. I refused to believe that changing my perspective would fix anything. I waited for good things to happen first before I was willing to have a positive outlook.

Big mistake.

If this applies to you, don't get angry or dismissive. You can improve the quality of your life by being honest and changing the way you see yourself, your circumstances, and other people.

Change Your Mind, Change Your Life

We're going to need help in the war against destructive mindsets. I'll be the first to admit I needed all the help I can get (and still do). The good news is that God wants to help you make those changes. We can use the Bible as a reference for how to begin:

"Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." (Romans 12:2, NLT)

Read that again. Doesn't that give you hope?

That verse tells us that God himself wants what is good and perfect for you. It says God will change you - if you let him. He'll show you what is really important in life. It may take a while, but it will happen.

It took years for me to see that I needed to change my approach to life. Even then, it required a lot of hard work to make it happen. Circumstances kept occurring to create doubt and fear. I kept praying for God's help and constantly reminded myself that things would change.

Don't worry about fixing everything overnight, just take the first step. There may be other issues you need to address in the meantime.

Do you have good friends? Do they want you to be happy or do they make problems worse?

If you're single, are you dating people who will help you become a better person, or people who bring out the worst in you?

Do you have broken relationships with family members or friends that need to be repaired?

Change begins when you realize that you don't have to face every day expecting the worst. Having a positive outlook doesn't guarantee success every time, but having a negative one makes failure inevitable. God won't condemn you for trying. He'll give you time to overcome the obstacles you face and even help you do it.​"So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most." (Hebrews 4:16)

You can't rush this.

This is a process, which means that it's going to take time. The physical world often reminds us of this:

We don't get up and walk right after we've been born. You have to crawl before you can walk.

People don't always recover from an illness in a few days. Sometimes it takes weeks or even months.

Have you ever trained for a marathon? Sometimes people put in months or years to get into shape for one.

People don't kick drug or alcohol habits in a hurry, either. I've seen friends battle addictions for years only to fall off the wagon again and again. It takes serious commitment and time to overcome an addiction.

The finished product (if there is such a thing) evolves out of trial and error, hard work, and maturity. You can't rush those things. If this is true in the physical world, doesn't it make sense that the same applies spiritually, mentally, and emotionally?

If you're suffering from negative mindsets and if everything seems to be working against you, then it's time to make a change. What are you waiting for?